Mail-bag holder.



7 WE l neooea E. S. SHIPMAN.

MAIL BAG HOLDER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 25. 1909.

932 9 1 2. Patented Aug. 31, 1909.

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m3 Elm E. s'. SHIPMAN.

MAIL BAG HOLDER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 25. 1909.

Patented Aug. 31, 1909.

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UNITED srans Prion.

ATENT MAIL-BAG HOLDER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN S. SI-IIPMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at North Braddock, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Mail-Bag Holders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in mail bag holders for delivering mail bags to and from moving trains and the said invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of devices hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing :--Figure 1 is a perspective of mail holders constructed in accordance with my invention, one of the holders being disposed on a standard at a station and the other in the door of a mail car and showing the holders arranged for the delivery of the mail either to or from the car. Fig. 2 is a detail elevation, partly in section of the improved means provided by my invention for supporting the holder from the standard or base at the station either in a horizontal extended position or in a vertical folded position. F 3 is a detail transverse sectional view showing the pivotal connection between the holder, and the bar of the car door. Fig. 4 is an inverted plan of the same. Fig. 5 is partly an inverted plan and partly a sectional view of the holder supporting devices shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is partly a plan and partly a sectional view of one of the holders. Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view taken on the plane in dicated by the line aa of Fig. 6.

My improved bag holding device com prises a pair of arms diverging in one direc tion, channeled longitudinally'in their opposing sides and provided with spring a ws which have their outer ends secured to the opposing sides of said arms, their interme diate portions curved and extending toward each other and their front ends curved outwardly and disposed to move in said channels toward and from the points of intersection of said arms.

In the construction of one of my improved mail bag holders as here shown, I provide a pair of crossed bars 1 which provide oppositely extending pairs of arms 2 which diverge outwardly from the central intersecting portions of said bars. The channels 3 on the inner opposing sides of the said arms, extend longitudinally thereof and the spring Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 25, 1908.

Serial No. $98,136.

jaws a are preferably in the form here shown, having their outer ends secured in the outer ends of the channels as at 5, their intermediate portions curved inwardly and caused to approach each other as at (3 and their tree portions '4' curved outwardly from each other and disposed to travel in the channels near the points of intersection of said arms.

In practice, two of the bag holders are employed one at the station and the other on the mail car so that the bags of mail may be delivered to or from the car as the same moves past the station. Each bag holder is secured at the outer end to an arm. The supporting arm 8 of the holder at the station is hinged as at 9 at the upper end of the fixed standard or post 10 so that the said supporting arm may be disposed and extended in a horizontal position toward the car or folded downwardly in a vertical position on one side of the post as indicated at Fig. 2. To secure the said supporting arm when in horizontal extended position, I provide a bracket 11 which is hinged to the post as at 12, the said bracket being movable under the supporting arm when the latter is in a horizontal position as shown in full lines in Figs. 1, 2, and 5 and being movable out of the pathof the said supporting arm to clear the latter and enable the same to be turned downwardly to a vertical position as indicated in dotted lines in Figs. 2 and 5. The said holder supporting arm 8 has on its under side a suitable securing device, here shown as a bolt 13 for engaging the outer end of the bracket to lock the latter, the bracket being here shown as having a recess 14: for the reception of the engaging end of the bolt. The holder which is mounted on the car has its supporting arm 15 provided on its under side near its center with a curved spring clip 16 for engagement with a bar 17 mounted transversely in the doorway in the side of the car as at 18, the inner end of the said supporting arm 15 having a handle 19 and forming a lever whereby the holder at the outer end of said arm 15 may be raised or lowered as may be required and may be maintained at the required elevation to cause it to pass above or below the holder at the station. It will be understood also that the bar 17 and the spring clip 16 provide a pivotal mount for the said holder supporting arm 15 so that said holder may be disposed in the required position, and

Patented Aug 31, 1909.

when not in use may be permitted to drop to a vertical position in the door-way out of the way.

A bag placed between the spring jaws of one of the holders will be caught by the spring aws 01 the other holder as the same passes a station, as will be understood. here a bag is to be delivered from a train to a station, it will be suspended between the spring jaws of the holder on the train and which extend toward the rear of the train so that when the bag is caught between the aws of the holder at the station, the spring jaws of the holder on the train will readily release the same. hen the bag is to be delivered from the station to a moving train, it will be placed between the jaws which extend in the direction in which the train is moving so that when the bag is caught by the holder of he moving train, said spring jaws will readily release the bag.

hat is claimed is l. A mail bag holder comprising a pair of arms diverging in one direction, channeled longitudinally in their opposite sides and provided with spring jaws, said jaws having their outer ends secured to the opposing sides of said arms, their intermediate portions curved toward each other and their free ends curved outwardly and disposed to move in said channels.

2. A mail bag holder comprising a pair of arms diverging in one direction and provided with spring jaws, said jaws having their outer ends secured to the opposing sides of said arms, their intermediate portions curved toward each other and their free ends curved outwardly and disposed to move longitudinally of said arms.

3. A mail bag holder comprising a pair of cross bars forming pairs of arms extending in opposite directions and diverging from the point of intersection of said bars and spring jaws on the opposing sides of said arms having their outer ends secured thereto and their intermediate portions curved toward each other and their front ends curved outwardly and disposed to move longitudinally of said arms.

l. In combination with a mail bag holder, a supporting object, a supporting arm for the holder having a pivot connection with said supporting object to enable said sup porting arm to move into the vertical plane and a supporting bracket for said supporting arm, said supporting bracket having a pivotal connection with said supporting element and being movable to a position under said supporting arm when the latter is raised.

in combination with a mail bag holder, a supporting object, a supporting arm for the holder having a pivot connection with said supporting object to enable said supporting arm to move in a vertical plane and a supporting bracket for said supporting arm, said supporting bracket having a pivotal connection with said supporting element and being movable to a position under said supporting arm when the latter is raised and means to lock said supporting bracket in such position.

In testimony whereof I atliX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWIN S. SHIPMAN.

Witnesses Awnnnw ii. SomLLINo, V. G. Evans. 

